out the waiter went away and found the food, previously overlooked when the
chef served it up and now somewhat congealed. In spite of protestations that
we did not want it now, having finished our meal, the waiter got quite
belligerent and said he would have to pay for it if we would not. He would not
accept that it was his mistake seeing as we had ordered it, and we ended up
agreeing to have it to take away, a little concerned that otherwise he would
stop us from leaving. Promises followed that he would wrap it up and give us
'silverware' with which to eat the dish later. What actually materialized was a
standard take-out box, and no silver (or even plastic) ware. We were both
cross with ourselves for letting him intimidate us and we retaliated in the only
way possible - no tip - saving more than the dish was worth.
On other occasions speed of service (or rather a lack of it), was the only
complaint we had. Whilst this was harder on our stomachs it was at least less
upsetting than rude service. In Tusayan, near the Grand Canyon, we suffered
from the least attentive waiter in the world, finally giving up after the main
course and paying at the counter even though we had yet to receive the bill.
At least the starter and main plate had arrived relatively quickly, our waiter just
decided never to speak to us again in case we made his life harder by asking
for something. I think he had concluded that we were trouble after he put a
glass of water on our table and belatedly realized it was meant for someone
else. Not really sure how we were supposed to know this seeing as it was just
plain water, but he returned and snatched the untouched glass back with a
resentful stare.
In Van Horn a month later we suffered from the reverse: attentive